"It's one step in the direction of providing Americans with health insurance options that are both more affordable, and more suited to individual and family circumstances", HHS Secretary Alex Azar says.

KODJAK: Well, not necessarily because today, small businesses already are sort of combining their market power through the Obamacare exchanges.

It is not clear which additional actions are being considered by the administration.

The difference in premiums between these short-term plans and exchange plans would be significant, Azar noted. They will, however, be covered for everything else except that preexisting condition. And those companies can be in different states.

"If individual market single risk pools change as a result, it would result in an increase in premiums for the individuals remaining in those risk pools", the proposed rule stated. The ACA required insurers to cover pre-existing conditions, opening up the health care marketplace.

"Determinants of health other than insurance and medical care - such as drug abuse, diet and physical activity leading to obesity, and smoking - have a tremendous impact and have exacerbated recent declines in life expectancy, despite the ACA's increased coverage", the post said. The average duration was five or six months.

The categories of individuals listed don't leave out very many Obamacare enrollees.

How will this reduce premiums?

While the Trump administration is loosening the Affordable Care Act restrictions on the plans, it will be up to individual states to allow their sale. And I looked at some today on the market that are available now, and they have the deductibles as high as $10,000. So there's not really a new strength in numbers that would come with these association plans.

"There are other states that may not allow these sorts of things", Badger adds. And they don't have to cover you if you have a health history.

There is already language in the ACA allowing temporary insurance plans that don't comply with its core insurance regulations.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the senior Democrat on the Finance Committee, said the Trump administration was promoting "junk insurance".

"They'll be picked up through the CAT fund, we're trying to get them into the efficient system", Little said. And he said that's particularly true in eastern Idaho. But I found this argument rather compelling - and it's worth keeping in mind as Idaho's proposal and the Trump administration's plans continue to move forward.

Without fixes, Cameron warned, it's likely eastern Idahoans in the individual market could soon have only two insurers to choose from. "I just don't believe in premature opinions on complex topics of serious weighty matters", he said.

The post criticized the law known as Obamacare for its focus on bringing down the number of uninsured Americans, which the CEA said did not necessarily translate to a healthier population.

Some health policy experts and an array of consumer advocates and patient groups say expanding short-term insurance plans won't solve the affordability problem, especially for people who have health issues and want comprehensive insurance.

"Everyone in the country knows Obamacare is broken", said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.